It's my right to be hellish, I still get jealous
by elle-mae-xx
Summary: CO-WRITTEN WITH FAEMELODY A short(ish) little one shot based Series 4, Episode 15. Rachel and Eddie are already together, but a blast from Rachel's past in the form of an army officer/old flame threatens to throw yet another spanner in the works.


"Good Morning Mr Lawson." Rachel muttered as she turned off her alarm and moved back against the warmth of Eddie's body, wanting to make the most of their time together before they got themselves up and started another day at Waterloo Road.

"It's too early Rach." Eddie groaned, stretching his bones out to rid himself of some tiredness before pulling Rachel flush against him. He kissed her shoulder and rested his cheek there, not daring himself to go any further as they didn't have the time. And he was still pretty exhausted from the previous night.

"I know. But it's hump day, plus we have the Army training today so that will break things up slightly." Rachel tried to reason, but longed to stay in his arms for the entire day herself.

"I hate that you're my boss." Eddie added, with absolutely no truth in his voice. He completely loved the fact that she was his boss, and Rachel knew this.

"No you don't. Do you want the shower while I make coffee?" She replied, trying to sweeten the deal of having to wake up early to face a school full of teenagers.

"I suppose. I'd prefer you joining me though."

Rachel rolled her eyes slightly, unable to stop the slight smile that appeared as she hit him in the arm. "Up!" she ordered, swinging herself out of bed. He grinned as she left the room, thoughts drifting to giving her bracelet he'd bought on a whim the other day… and scowling as he abruptly remembered he'd left it in his jacket pocket, which was currently slung over his chair in his classroom.

He might have time to run and get it before the bell rang, he thought to himself. "Eddie, get up!" Rachel called up the stairs. "And you Phillip!"

He scrambled up, heading to the bathroom and finishing in record time, still buttoning his shirt as he emerged into the hallway. "Phil, are you awake?" he called through the door. He received a grunt in response, which he deemed to be a yes as he padded down the stairs.

Rachel greeted him with a steaming mug of coffee and he groaned his thanks before dropping a kiss to her cheek and accepting gratefully. He stood by her side and helped her butter the trio some toast, knowing they were already running late and would need to get moving if Eddie was going to slip into school without being seeing in Rachel's car. No matter how much he wanted to shout from the rooftops about being together, Eddie knew Rachel wasn't ready and respected her decision entirely.

"I love this." Rachel commented absentmindedly, sharing a smile with Eddie as she handed Phillip his breakfast. He had finally emerged with his eyes practically still closed, yawning dramatically before biting into his toast.

"What? Early mornings?" Eddie bumped his hip against hers, leaning against the kitchen counter by her side and making the most of being able to be close to her.

"No dummy, how easy it is to be with you." She swallowed the lump in her throat after speaking, not wanting to overwhelm herself when it had just reached 7am. Eddie looked over and finally took the opportunity to appreciate Rachel's chosen outfit for the day. She always looked amazing, but he knew he would be aching all day to feel the silver silk beneath his fingers. He reached over and placed a hand on her cheek, meeting her gaze and smiling at her softly. He was about to reply when they were interrupted by Phillip coughing loudly, and they broke apart like embarrassed school children. Rachel hurried around to collect her things together, trying to cool down her face when her cheeks heated up through embarrassment.

"Rach, I feel the same." Eddie called from the kitchen, making her turn back and meet his eyes. She couldn't help the grin, nodding her appreciation as her cheeks turned pink once more.

With some nagging from Phillip, they managed to leave the house in time to miss the worst of the school-run traffic and pulled into the mostly empty carpark in almost record time. Rachel noted absently that Kim's car was parked there, along with a few others she knew were prepping for the breakfast club that morning.

"I'm going to dump this on my desk." Eddie held up his bag of marking, and Rachel raised an eyebrow, because usually he just lugged it with him and ended up having to make a mad dash to her office for it when he inevitably left it behind. Phillip vanished as well, muttering about libraries and computers and leaving Rachel to make her way up to office, oddly relaxed in the empty corridors. It was peaceful, she thought as she flicked on the lights and set the kettle to boil before beginning to sort through the papers on her desk. Davina was officially qualified, and she smiled as she recalled the meeting the evening before that had confirmed she could hire her. She set that paper aside, binned a few others and left a lot more on a pile to be dealt with later.

Several minutes later, movement had her glancing up and smiling as Eddie came in. "Tea?" she offered, and he waved her off.

"I'll do it."

Outside, the noise level was beginning to pick up as more and more students arrived, but Rachel found herself still oddly relaxed as she wandered over to the window, watching the goings on outside. "You alright?" Eddie asked, placing the mugs on the desk. She nodded.

"I think I'm just… happy."

He smirked at the faint tone of surprise in her voice. "Well, hopefully, I've got something that will make you even happier." She looked curious, moving closer to him again as he dug in his pocket and produced the box. "For you…"

She began to smile. "What's this for?"

"I can't just buy you a present?"

She bit her lip as she opened the box on her second try, and gasped. "Eddie… it's gorgeous! I can't take this! It's far too much!" Eddie felt himself blush with her excitement, the reaction he was so hoping for and grateful to receive.

"It's never too much for you Rach. The beauty of this bracelet is nothing compared to you." He commented as he lifted the bracelet from the box and took hold of her wrist. He fastened the clasp and secured it in place before placing a kiss to her skin, just above where the silver item rested.

"Oh Eddie, I absolutely love it." Rachel finally accepted the beautiful gift, knowing that arguing with Eddie would be pointless anyway. She moved her wrist different ways to see the sparkle in the light, overwhelmed that someone had been so considerate to treat her to such a perfect gift.

"How about it then? Finishing a day here with the army with a nice large glass of red tonight?" Eddie suggested, wanting to take the opportunity to get dressed up and show Rachel off to anyone who cared.

"Oh can't we just stay in?" Rachel pouted, already knowing it would be a hard day and longing for a night in front of the sofa.

"Oh come on, we haven't had a night out in weeks!" Eddie protested, trying to pretend like her pout wasn't doing things to him. Rachel rolled her eyes and he knew he had won, it didn't take much when a glass of wine was involved. They shared a final smile before Rachel spotted Davina almost at her office door. She knew their moment would be over now, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to show her appreciation later.

After congratulating Davina and giving her the good news, Rachel spotted the army truck arriving and knew she would need to join Tom in greeting them and welcoming them to her school.

"Are you coming?" She asked Eddie, grabbing her black trench coat and securing the belt around her waist to prevent the morning chill. He shrugged. "Why not?"

As they walked, he allowed his fingers to graze the backs hers, wishing they were somewhere that she could slip her hand into his and they could relax together, not worrying about Phillip or if someone was going to see them. That had possibilities, he thought to himself, wondering how Rachel would feel about a holiday. Summer wasn't too long away, and Phillip was grown up enough to stay by himself for a couple of days.

He winced as they walked outside and the wind immediately whipped around them. Instinctively, he moved closer to Rachel, attempting to block some of chill from her. As they drew closer, he saw that Tom was talking to two of the soldiers, and unnoticed three year eight boys were peering into the cab of the truck. Before he could call out, however, Rachel beat him to it. "You three! You're supposed to be in registration!"

They jumped, looking at her guiltily. "Miss-!"

"Go," she told them firmly. "And maybe you can ask at breaktime if you may look."

"Yes miss!"

"Thanks miss!"

They ran off, and she shot an exasperated look towards Tom, who had the grace to look sheepish. "Sorry. Bit distracted."

"Obviously."

"Andy, this is Rachel Mason, our head and Eddie Lawson, deputy," he hastily introduced. Rachel plastered a smile on her face.

"Welcome to Waterloo Road."

"Glad to be here. Tom tells me we have some interesting characters in the mix today?"

Eddie snorted. "That may be an understatement."

"Rachel Mason?"

Rachel turned at the sound of her name from behind, mouth dropping open when she saw who had said it. "Billy Dunn?"

He'd come around the side of a truck, and now began to grin. "Well well well- of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world…"

Rachel rolled her eyes, but was smiling widely. "We're not in a gin joint, and you're the one who walked in," she pointed out, but was cut off when he caught her in a hug, laughing when he almost lifted her off of her feet.

"So tell me- what's a gal like you doing in a place like this?"

"I'm the headteacher."

"Get out! You actually did it?"

"Did you doubt I would?"

Eddie had an eyebrow raised. "Rach?" he questioned, and she blushed lightly as she abruptly remembered the three people standing behind them.

"Sorry. Billy and I were at uni together," she explained. "I haven't seen him in… what, fifteen years?"

"Give or take," he agreed. Tom was beginning to get a gleeful look on his face, and Rachel noticed.

"Oh no you don't!" she jabbed a finger at him, swung it around to point to Billy. "You tell one story, and a certain photograph might just make it's way around your army buddies."

He blanched. "No stories here!"

A yell from behind them caught all of their attention. "Miss Mason! Sally and Rina are fighting again!"

Rachel sighed. "And that's my queue. Tom, try and ensure the girls at least don't make our reputation any worse. Eddie?"

He fell into step beside her as they walked. He kept his hands in his pockets this time, planning his next sentence as he thought of the conversation he had witnessed. Someone about the way Billy's eyes lit up had rubbed Eddie up the wrong way, and he wasn't too sure how to approach Rachel about it. They had yet to discuss their exclusivity, and he didn't want to come on too strong as he knew Rachel was still adjusting.

"So, Billy seems nice." Eddie wanted to bury his head in the sand as soon as the words came out, his words mirroring that of a jealous teen. Rachel looked over and eyed his pink cheeks, shocked to find traces of jealousy in his features. However, she couldn't deny that it gave her a thrill that he felt the need to feel jealous over her.

"Nice? Oh yeah Bill is lovely, I'm sure he'll have loads to tell you about my Uni days." She tried to play it off, shrug her shoulders and hope to move on from the topic. Although she completely trusted Eddie, she hated the thought of discussing her past with him, especially when he already knew so much. Her and Bill had been together for no longer than 5 months, and it only ever felt casual for her. But when Bill decided he wanted more, it took Rachel almost the same time as they were together to finally shake Bill and his constant attempts to start a serious relationship. They had remained friends afterwards however, and they completed University in the same year and shared a graduation date.

"Sounds great, I'll be sure to ask him." Eddie tried not to sound passive aggressive, wanting nothing more than to never hear of his name again. They strolled through the school as Eddie's mind took his to every thought that he didn't want to think. He knew Rachel was too good for him, and counted his lucky stars every morning that he was with her.

"Coffee at break time? I'll put the kettle on?" Rachel broke the awkward silence when they reached the corridor where they would part ways, just wanting to see his smile before she set about her day.

"I'll see you then!" Eddie commented, his voice much higher than usual as he coughed an uncomfortable feeling out of his throat. He avoided eye contact, but Rachel wasn't going to let him get away that easy. She knew this was something that they needed to discuss, but she didn't want their good morning to be ruined before it had truly begun. She reached out for his arm as he turned away, making him stop in his tracks and turn back to face her. He finally met her gaze and she smiled at him, the smile he knew she had reserved for him since the moment they had met. She ached to bring him close to her, to whisper her reassurance in his ear. But they were in a crowded corridor, so a squeeze to the arm was all she could manage and she hoped it was enough for him.

"Come at breaktime," she said again, hand resting on his arm. He nodded.

"I'll be there," he promised. She released him, and they were both swept up in the wave of kids heading to class. Rachel made her way back to her office, comforting herself with the fact that at the very least, there were only two hours until breaktime and surely not even Waterloo Road could produce a disaster in that amount of time on a Wednesday morning?

Of course, she was proven wrong. Aleesha burst into her office, an odd mix of worry, delight and amusement on her face. "Miss! You've got to come! Janeece and Michaela knocked seven bells out of each other and the army guys had to separate them!"

Her jaw dropped. "What? Why?"

"Dunno," she shrugged. "Bolton, maybe?"

"Oh for… is Mr Clarkson not there?" she rose, striding out of her office and gesturing for Aleesha to keep up.

"Haven't seen him, miss."

Rachel glanced at her sharply, mouth set in a thin line. They passed Mr Budgens, who took one look at her face and hastily stepped to the side. She pushed open the doors, Aleesha trailing in her wake and was glad to see that at the very least, the two girls seemed to have stopped fighting for the moment. The breeze cut through her thin blouse, chilling her instantly and it only dampened her mood even further. "Where's Mr Clarkson?" she questioned Captain Rigby as she drew near the group.

"I was hoping you'd be able to tell me that!"

Rachel just managed resisted the urge to curse aloud.

In the short time it took her to apologise and get the girls moving inside, they'd begun to attract a bit of a crowd from the sixth formers who didn't have lessons that period- a single, icy glare from her had them all shuffling off inside. From behind her, she heard a laugh. "Well- this place is certainly more interesting than my school ever was."

She turned, glancing at Billy. "To be fair, I think it's probably more interesting than most schools."

He came to stand beside her. "It suits you. Being headteacher. I always said it would."

She laughed softly, eyes carefully watching Janeece and Michaela as they trudged towards the building. "Careful- you won't be able to fit that head of yours under your hat soon."

He looked like he wanted to say something else, stepping closer to her but she hastily cut him off. "I need to go, or those two will start again." She nodded towards the girls, who had reached the doors and were now glancing back at her uncertainly. He nodded, and with an apologetic glance towards the captain she began to make her way back into the building, shooting an angry glower towards Janeece and Michaela. "Cooler!"

After dealing with the girls and handing them their punishment, she felt exhausted. She then had to deal with where Tom had disappeared to, and told reiterated to him that she could do without the added headache as the entire day had been his idea. She also couldn't shake her conversation with Billy earlier, she had not liked the way he looked at her and especially didn't want any extended conversation with him. Finally, she checked the clock and noticed it was almost break time, so busied herself with getting the kettle on and smoothing her hair down for Eddie's arrival. Punctual as ever, a soft knock on the door was followed by it being opened and the his face appearing for her.

"Hey you." She handed him his mug with a kiss to the cheek, still feeling unsettled from her earlier conversation with Billy and wanting more than ever to reassure Eddie with where her heart lay.

"How has it been out there? I heard there was some trouble." Eddie cocked his head towards the window, gesturing to the army day on the field. He still looked uneasy, and Rachel set herself a goal to relieve him of any fears he may have.

"Nothing I can't handle. Are you okay Eddie?" Rachel knew she needed to reassure him, but wanted to get an admission from him Incase this was all in her head.

"Of course Rach, why wouldn't I be?" Eddie's brows furrowed in confusion, trying to remain cool as his what he thought was a good act was rumbled.

"Anything you want to ask about Billy? You know I'll tell you anything." No more secrets, that's what they had promised each other and that's exactly what Rachel planned to deliver on. She had told him her deepest secrets from her days of prostitution and he had held her whilst she cried after revealing some of the horrendous men she had encountered.

"No nothing to ask. Is there anything to know? You know, just as a need to know basis?" They sat next to each other on the couch and Rachel took the opportunity to rest her head on his shoulders and relieve some of the tension from the morning.

"We dated, casually during uni. He wanted more and I didn't, it took me a while to shake him off but it was fine after that." He was careful to keep his tone even and bland. "You didn't want more?"

She tilted her head to look at him. "I dated him because he was sweet, and uncomplicated and didn't ask about my past. And at that point… that was exactly what I needed." She shrugged, a little self-consciously. "Billy was the one who showed me that not every man in the world was evil and after just the one thing. And if I'd been a normal girl, maybe he would have been perfect for me."

"You were normal, Rach."

She smiled bitterly. "You think I'm bad now, you should have seen me in my early twenties. I completely closed myself off to people- I didn't trust anyone. Bill was the first person I let in even just a little bit. But I wouldn't- couldn't, give him more. I needed uncomplicated- but then he rapidly became anything but."

Without realising, he'd wrapped an arm around her, thumb drawing circles on her waist. "Did he hurt you?"

"No! No, Bill's not like that. He never even raised his voice to me. Truth be told, I think I hurt him more. But he was good about it, even defended me to our friends," she recalled. "There was a group of us-it was a bit of an odd mish-mash really."

"How so?"

"I don't think any of us were on the same course- we'd all met through other people, or because someone was dating someone else. Billy was good for me, at the time. He made sure I had a life outside of just studying. And he was always my biggest supporter when I was doubting myself, even though he usually didn't understand the reasons behind it."

"He sounds perfect for you."

Eddie's tone was sour, and Rachel laughed softly, shifting to look him in the eye. "I spent the entire relationship petrified he'd find out about my past. I found it so easy to lie to him, and if we ever disagreed about something he usually backed down without a fight."

"And that's a bad thing?"

She cupped his face, still smiling warmly at him. "If there is one thing you've taught me, it's that sometimes I need someone to tell me when I'm being an idiot."

He laughed now, some of the tension in his shoulder's easing.

"William Dunn is my past, Eddie." She looked at him seriously. "You… you knew me better within a month of meeting me than he ever did. You have nothing to be jealous of."

"I'm not jealous!" he immediately protested. She raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly.

"I saw your face, Lawson. You were jealous." She leaned in, pressed a lingering kiss to the corner of his mouth. "It's kind of sweet. But completely unnecessary."

Their moment was interrupted by the bell, and Eddie knew he needed to get going as he had spent his previous lesson with year 10 explaining the importance of punctuality to them.

"You just amaze me Rach." Eddie commented as he stood up, placing his untouched mug of tea back down on her desk. "I know you're too good for me, I'm waiting for you to realise that." He shrugged his shoulders and held his hands on the handle, feeling tension as the self pity took over. Rachel approached him and rested her arms around his waist, leaning her head between the blades of his shoulders as she held him close.

"You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, nothing will ever change how I feel about you." She placed a kiss to his back and released him, hoping he felt the weight of her words. They were both so insecure and damaged from precious relationships, they needed a lot of work but they knew it was worth it. The way they both felt about each other was next to none, and that in itself was worth fighting for.

Before long, Rachel was stood in front of the staff at lunch time for Davina'a celebration, practically begging staff members to take part in the assault course against the kids. She knew they couldn't let them down, but finding willing participants was not going to be easy. Tom had already agreed, knowing he couldn't really say no as this had been idea all along. That left at least 3 spaces to be filled, and it was as easy as pulling teeth.

"Well come on, I've signed up. With two dodgy knees, and a dodgy back!" This was the first Rachel had heard of Eddie's participation, and she looked at him with complete awe and gratitude as he spoke. However, she couldn't help a slight smirk as she figured this had something to do with proving a point in front of Billy and also being able to stake his claim on her. She didn't mind one bit, she kind of loved the jealous side of Eddie.

With the 4 members of staff chosen, Eddie and Rachel made their way back to the office to plan for a meeting before they needed to join the Army day on the field. Rachel got behind her desk and sunk into her seat, feeling completely exhausted before the day was even through. Eddie pulled his chair up to join her so they sat at the same side of the desk, not wanting the added distance that the furniture gave them.

"So.. the assault course?" Rachel teased, fluttering her lashes at him as she let out a laugh.

"What? I'm doing it for the kids, and you'd never of got more volunteers with me." He crossed his arms defensively and Rachel couldn't help but rest her hands of top of his, grinning at him widely.

"Oh yes Eddie, thank you so much for stepping in with completely selfless reasons." She teased, lifting her brow at him as his bottom lip stuck out in a pout of protest. She quickly moved over and kissed him, ridding his face of the pout as he reacted immediately. They soon settled back and got on with their work and the agenda that needing completely, with Rachel excited to see Eddie perform on the field with her having a front row view.

Before long, Eddie had dashed off to get changed and they'd met in the corridor, walking across the field together. "You think this will work with the girls?" Eddie questioned. Rachel sighed.

"I have no idea. But frankly, something has got to give."

She could see the girls grouped up listening to the captain, with Tom stood nearby with his arms crossed. A smattering of students were gathered to watch as well- when he saw them, Eddie gulped slightly and Rachel had to supress a laugh. "Wishing you could back out?" she questioned under her breath. She saw him visibly straighten.

"Course not."

Now, she couldn't help but laugh slightly. Just as they were about to veer away from each other, she shifted so that the back of her fingers brushed his. "I'll be cheering for you," she murmured. She broke away before he could answer, coming to stand next to Chlo. "How are they looking?" she asked her warmly.

"Well, Janeece and Michaela don't look like they want to kill each other anymore!" the girl laughed. "But then again, I'm not sure they're talking either."

"Well, I'll take the small victories." She watched as Eddie and Tom exchanged a few words, the obligatory slaps on the back coming into play as well.

While keeping her eyes on Eddie, she didn't notice Billy slide up next to her while Captain Rigby explained the rules of the assault course.

"You think your girls have got a chance Mason?" He was close enough for their shoulders to touch, so Rachel moved herself to avoid their bodies from contacting.

"I'm very confident in both of the teams, they've got it in the bag haven't they Chlo?" Rachel nudged Chlo next to her, wanting to bring someone else into the conversation so she didn't feel so uncomfortable.

"Definitely Miss, some of the football girls are taking part so they'll smash it!" Chlo replied, not really engaging in the conversation in the way Rachel had hoped. She smiled at Billy and shrugged her shoulders, hoping the conversation wouldn't carry on. But he moved closer when Chlo turned her attention back to the course, and Rachel couldn't do any more to move away.

"So, after this, maybe.. drinks? Somewhere? Me and you?" Rachel cringed, not wanting to handle this conversation while surrounded by students. She looked over at Eddie, hoping to maybe send a distress signal to get some help from him but found him deep in the game as he watched the teams carry on around the course.

"I have plans Billy, I'm sorry." She sent him a sympathetic smile, not wanting to hurt his feelings after all the years had passed between them. She had noticed Billy look at her left hand earlier, so couldn't blame him for assuming her as single.

"Plans as in, plans?" He persisted, now intrigued into the life she was leading since graduating and going on to live her life.

"Just a quiet drink for us tonight." She tried to confirm without saying much, not wanting to give too much away with students around them.

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend?" Billy added, feeling slightly silly having spend the whole day trying to work up the courage to ask Rachel out on another date.

"It's new but I'm happy." She turned her attention back to the course in time to see Eddie sprint his way across the field, practically clinging to Chlo's arm as she jumped up and down with excitement. She cheered him on as loud as she could, shouting her encouragement as he ran past her and beat Michaela through the tunnel. She ran over to him straight away, knowing they had won and wanting to celebrate his victory. She couldn't do much but rub his back as he recovered, but she was rewarded with a smile from him as he recognised her presence.

"Now now Miss Mason, we don't want this boyfriend of yours getting jealous." Billy commented from behind them, trying to work out if Rachel had made up a story to prevent going out with him but unaware that he was making the comments in front of Eddie.

Rachel simply laughed, shaking her head at him. Eddie flicked a look at her, raising an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes slightly, telling him not to worry. Flick ended up beside her, beaming, and she wrapped an arm around her in a tight hug, smiling at the rest of the girls proudly. The soldiers had begun to run the course and she moved to get a better view, deliberately brushing past Eddie and shooting him a warm smile as she did. She cheered along with the others, until she became painfully aware something was wrong as they stopped underneath the net.

"Oh no…"

Her stomach twisted, fury and frustration building inside her as it became apparent what had happened. The soldiers were understandably angry, a good portion of the kids confused. Eddie met her eyes, a thousand messages passing between them.

"Tom…" she began, her tone low but he cut her off.

"I know. I'll deal with it, I promise."

"You'd better."

She stalked towards the school, ushering the spectators in with a few curt words and going straight to her office. She tore her gloves and scarf of, throwing them onto the table and chucking her coat over the back of a chair.

"Rach?"

"Billy, what are you doing in here?"

He came in properly, shrugging sheepishly. "Came to find if you've got any milk we can borrow."

"Then you'll be wanting the kitchens." She crossed her arms, in no mood to play games.

He raised an eyebrow. "You angry at me or at your student?"

She opened her mouth to snap a retort, only to sigh and sag. "Sorry."

"All your pupils like that?" he nodded towards the window, and just like that her anger was reignited.

"They're not bad kids," she defended.

"One of them just dosed two soldiers with chilli powder!"

"Do you have any idea of the sort of lives these kids lead?" Rachel snapped. "What they did was wrong, they will be punished for it but don't you dare start making judgements on them!"

He chuckled softly. "The way you talk, you'd think they were yours. Are you always so quick to defend them?"

"They are mine." Her eyes flashed. "Every one of them."

He held his hands up. "I didn't come here to fight. Honest."

"Why did you come?"

"I wanted to see you," he shrugged. "You look good, sweets. Aren't you the least bit pleased to see me again?"

She sighed. "It's lovely seeing you again. But I think probably for entirely different reasons."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "We were good together."

"And we didn't stay together for a reason," she reminded him. "We would never have worked long term."

"We could have."

She shook her head, stepping backwards to put the desk between them. "No, we couldn't. For reasons that were entirely my fault, I admit. You were a good man, Billy, but you couldn't give me what I needed."

"And this new boyfriend of yours can?"

She shrugged, deciding to be perfectly honest. "Yes," she answered simply. He frowned, looking like he was going to say something else. "The kitchens are back down the stairs, to the left and through the canteen. Rose should still be in there, just tell her what you need." Ever the soldier, he could recognise a dismissal. And when he was gone, she practically fell into her chair and let her head drop onto the desk.

She groaned into her hands as she rolled her neck from side to side, trying to rid herself of some of the tension that had formed throughout the day.

"Rach? Are you okay?" She looked up at the sound of Eddie, physically relaxing as he shut her office door behind him and joined her around her side of the desk. He quickly noticed her tight shoulders and began to work the knots out with his fingers, making her groan in gratitude as she finally let herself relax.

"Chilli powder, who would of thought?" Eddie commented, letting out a sharp laugh as he processed the events from the disastrous day.

"We are definitely going for that drink, this has been a disaster!" She leant back into his arms and allowed herself to break out into a smile, happy they were finally alone and she could be herself again.

"Let's get going then, Tom has sorted the girls and the Army are packing up. You're a free woman Miss Mason." He had gathered his own coat in preparation for getting Rachel on his way out, wanting to take her away from the day and find out what had been troubling her when she came to comfort him after his race had finished.

"That is music to my ears Mr Lawson." She quickly stood and grabbed her coat, joining him by the door and deciding to leave the paperwork for a later date. She deserved a night with Eddie, the chance to let her hair down and relax in his company. She placed her arm around his waist as they began the quiet walk down to the car, only to run into Billy once more who was again on his way to her office. Usually, Rachel would spring apart from Eddie at the sight of another person in the school but she held onto him tightly this time and pressed herself closely against him.

"Still looking for milk Billy?" She raised her eyebrows at him and looked up at Eddie with a mischievous look in her eye. She had tried to reason with Billy, had wanted to remain polite and professional for their old relationships sake. But having turned him down nicely, she had simply had enough. She expected her reply of no to of been a final word to him, but he had yet to take the hint.

"Oh.. yes. I got.. lost." He stuttered slightly over his words having been caught out, and followed his eyes between the couple in front of him numerous times as the cogs in his brain began to turn.

"It's a big school," Eddie resisted the urge to smirk, glancing down at Rachel. "Seem to remember you getting a bit turned around too on your first day."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied primly. She made the mistake of meeting his gaze, and they both broke into laughter. "You deliberately gave me confusing directions," she accused, grinning.

"I gave perfect directions!" he sounded indignant. "Not my fault if you couldn't follow them!"

"Bloody cheek."

Billy was watching them with an unreadable expression on his face. "You're the boyfriend…"

Eddie smiled widely, pressing a kiss to Rachel's temple. "For as long as she'll have me."

"I did try telling you," she shrugged at Billy apologetically. He nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Yes, you did."

His tone was bitter, but resigned and her gaze softened; she shifted to move forward, trailing her hand behind her to squeeze Eddie's hand as she moved. "I meant what I said, Billy. You're a good man. And everything that I have, that I've done- it's because of you. Because of the support you gave me." She cupped his cheek, smiling gently at him. "You did more for me than you'll ever understand. And I will always be grateful to you for that."

He gave her a rueful smile in return, turning his head into her hand for a second. "I think you're always gonna be the one who got away, sweets."

"And you're always going to be the boy who taught me to love again." She stood on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek, lingering for a second before wrapping her arms around his neck in a warm hug. He embraced her back tightly, but when she lowered herself back down he released her easily, glancing at Eddie.

"Hope you know how lucky you are."

"Oh, I do."

Rachel glanced back at him, was relieved to see there was no jealousy in his gaze, just warmth and affection when he looked at her. She moved back to slide her arm around him, leaning into him for a second. "Come on, Bill. We'll walk you back out." She threw a smile at him, staying tucked under Eddie's arm as they walked until Tom came into view, talking to captain Rigby at the front of the school.

"So, nobody else knows I'm guessing?" Billy commented as he watched Rachel tear herself apart from Eddie when they approached a member of staff. She shrugged before sharing a warm smile with Eddie, feeling blissfully happy as they shared another moment of affection.

"Not yet. Things have been complicated, plus he's my Deputy." She raised her eyebrow, knowing that Billy would understand the predicament that their relationship had landed them in.

"Only at school though Rach, only at school." His comments made her blush, and she swiped at his shoulder in an attempt to stop him talking any more.

"Eddie!" She rolled her eyes at him playfully, her cheeks now a deep crimson as they reached where the Army van were ready to get themselves back to their base.

"Successful day Miss Mason, thank you for your hospitality." Captain Rigby held out his hand and Rachel shook it, grateful for the lessons her girls had learnt throughout their day with the army.

"I apologise again for the little incident Captain Rigby, but it's been a great experience for the school. I think the only problem we'll have will be Mr Lawson's back from now on." She shot Eddie a smirk as she secretly put her hand on his back, her smile shining through her eyes as they shared a look.

"Excuse me, fastest around the course wasn't I?" He crossed his arms defensively but the smile on his face showed Rachel that he wasn't in the least bit bothered. Tom looked between the couple and rolled his eyes, wondering how long it was going to take the two of them to finally admit that they were together. Billy caught Tom's face and the two shared a look.

"Shall we get going?" Rachel asked Eddie, wanting to finally get him alone after their day and spend quality time together.

He nodded, and they said their goodbyes and walked off, arms brushing and entirely missing the knowing smirks on Tom and Billy behind them. The latter shook his head slightly. "Not exactly subtle, are they?"

Tom snorted a laugh. "They like to think they are though. Honestly- there's been betting pools going around about them since the day Rachel arrived. Annoyingly, Kim's winning and she's only been back a few months!"

As they rounded a corner and were finally out of sight, Eddie reached out to entwine their fingers. "Where would you like to go tonight? I think avoiding the pub may be necessary if we don't want to spend the evening with our delightful co-workers."

She smiled slightly. "Why don't we just drive?" she suggested. "And see where we end up?"

"Rachel Mason without a plan? Did the world end when I wasn't paying attention?"

She laughed, shaking her head at him and tugging him to a stop, wrapping her arms around his neck to surprise him with a kiss.

"We're still in the car park," he murmured against her lips. She smiled.

"I know."

"At school."

"I know."

"Where anyone could see us?"

"I know…" she murmured, kissing him again. He felt her smile into it, pressing herself closer as his own arms tightened around her. She pulled away only enough to rest her forehead on his. "You're not jealous of Billy anymore, are you?"

"I was never jealous!" he protested.

"Eddie."

He sighed, stealing another quick kiss. "No. I get it now, what he was to you. But you're here, with me. This is what's important."

"I agree." She pressed her lips to his again, before lowering herself down and holding out her hand. "Come on- let's get out of here."

He grinned at her, meeting her own smile, and without hesitation interlaced their fingers. She was right about one thing, he thought as they walked side by side. Their past was very much over.


End file.
